What English Learners in Germany Struggle With Most: What I Learned from a Week at the VHS

from English Breakthrough for Germans · host Mike Budden

Last week I spent a week teaching an intensive English course at a Berlin Volkshochschule. After five days in the classroom, I was reminded of some of the biggest challenges facing English learners in Germany. In this episode, we talk about: • Why reading is easier than speaking • Why learners get overwhelmed by vocabulary • How to prepare for spontaneous conversation • The dangers of translating directly from German • Why language learning is more like sport or music than school subjects • The role of pronunciation reductions in listening comprehension • Why AI can never fully replace human interaction As someone who reached C2 in German as an adult and has spent 15 years teaching languages, I'll share practical insights that can help you take control of your English learning and become a more independent learner. Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/englishbreakthroughforgermans

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 9, 2026

What this episode covers

Last week I spent a week teaching an intensive English course at a Berlin Volkshochschule. After five days in the classroom, I was reminded of some of the biggest challenges facing English learners in Germany. In this episode, we talk about: • Why reading is easier than speaking• Why learners get overwhelmed by vocabulary• How to prepare for spontaneous conversation• The dangers of translating directly from German• Why language learning is more like sport or music than school subjects• The role of pronunciation reductions in listening comprehension• Why AI can never fully replace human interaction As someone who reached C2 in German as an adult and has spent 15 years teaching languages, I'll share practical insights that can help you take control of your English learning and become a more independent learner.Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/englishbreakthroughforgermans

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This episode was published on June 9, 2026.

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